The sound of a shotgun blast is desired in certain circumstances. For example, in the training of retriever dogs and in retriever dog competitions, at shotgun is fired to simulate an environment and situation found while hunting ducks, geese and other water fowl. A poison with a shotgun is positioned in a field and instructed to discharge the weapon, which is preferably leaded with blank shells. A dummy, of training bumper, can be launched or thrown to simulate a downed water fowl.
The sound of a shotgun blast can be desirable in other situations as well, such as to scare away unwanted animals or water fowl. In either dog training or competition or simply to produce a loud blast, regulations often prohibit the tiring of even blank shells without a specific permit for the person firing the gun or other projectile weapon. This can add to the cost of producing the shotgun blast as well as limiting the availability of properly permitted individuals.
Previous attempts to simulate a shotgun blast without the use of a shell relied on heavy, cumbersome tubes that made portability difficult. Prior art also required extended cycle times on the order of 20-30 seconds before the next “shot” could be fired. Long cycle times precluded training for conditions with consecutive blasts and limit effectiveness when trying to scare unwanted animals. Further, previous attempts to simulate a shotgun blast still required a second person or apparatus to throw or launch a training bumper or dummy. Launchers for training bumpers or dummies typically use a blank shell, do not provide the desired sound, and suffer from substantial recoil on the user. A device that stimulates the sound of a shotgun and is able to launch a training bumper or dummy is desirable.